[Healeys] 6 volt batteries

[Bob Spidell]

I have a couple of theories, worth exactly what you paid for them:


1) It's a well-known 'secret' that, in addition to the 
order-of-magnitude lower wages, one of the reasons that companies like 
to shift manufacturing overseas is the generally lower standards of 
environmental protections.  Spill some acid on the floor in a US plant, 
it probably gets some absorbent material thrown on it, then scooped up 
and put in a container for proper disposal at a hazmat site (yeah, I 
know it doesn't always happen that way).  Spill some in, say, a Chinese 
or Mexican plant it gets squeegeed or rinsed off the floor into a drain 
that goes to the local sewer or, more likely, to the nearest river.  
Quality isn't just a matter of assembling things, but maintaining an 
efficient, clean all-around work environment; i.e. the 'who gives a 
crap' attitude can become pervasive.  I bet we all check out the 
condition of any shop we take any of our cars to for maintenance or 
repair, for just that reason.


2) Workers getting paid a sustenance wage simply aren't going to feel 
any pride in what they're making, compared to a worker getting an honest 
wage, some benefits and at least a little respect; i.e. no 'skin in the 
game.'


3) Besides the machines and processes--fairly easy to transplant--there 
is often a great deal of 'institutional knowledge' involved in factory 
assembly processes.  I read a rather long article about the workers in 
one of the Midwestern plants that are being exported.  Although it was 
an automated plant, one woman had run a particular machine for many 
years and was intimately familiar with its quirks and idiosyncrasies.  
Even though she trained the Mexican crew that was taking her and her 
comrades' jobs they couldn't get the machine to perform as well as when 
she ran it.  No amount of oversight from a few gringos cracking the whip 
was going to replicate the years of experience she had working that machine.


I think the 'recycling of lead' might theory might have some relevance; 
it's possible some contaminants can't be removed in a recycling 
process.  I've noticed that the high-priced AGM batteries all advertise 
that they use 'pure' lead.  Recycling a toxic substance like lead is a 
good thing, but it may have a downside.


Bob


On 1/13/2018 10:06 AM, Jean Caron wrote:
>
> While I believe and trust what you were told by your friend. I wonder 
> sometimes what really causes the problems with some of these parts and 
> accessories. I have a hard time believing that a company like 
> Interstate, just because their batteries are made in another country, 
> they cannot be of equal quality. Unless they change the method and the 
> standard under which these are assembled, it should not matter whether 
> they are made in Mexico, USA, Bangladesh or China. The quality should 
> be the same, the only savings here should be that they are assembled 
> by someone making $1.00 an hour as opposed to someone making $12.00 an 
> hour and for all I know, they could be assembled by a robot, so it 
> should matter even less.
>
> If however, in order to keep the prices down, Interstate changes the 
> standard the battery is supposed to meet, that is something else 
> entirely.
>
>
> Jean
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Healeys <healeys-bounces at autox.team.net> on behalf of Bob 
> Spidell <bspidell at comcast.net>
> *Sent:* January 13, 2018 4:54 PM
> *To:* healeys at autox.team.net
> *Subject:* Re: [Healeys] 6 volt batteries
>
> On another note, the guy who has rebuilt a couple starters and a 
> generator for me has this to say:
>
> "I was a Interstate Distributor for 25 years, they were an excellent 
> quality battery. These batteries are manufactured for Interstate by 
> Johnson Control who was manufacturing the batteries here in 
> California, however as all Companies want to make more profit about 5 
> years ago they shut down operations in California and started making 
> the batteries in Mexico, well you can see what that will do, the 
> quality started to drop down tremendously to a point were they have 
> high battery failure we had to drop selling Interstate Batteries. Most 
> mechanic will not install these batteries in their customers 
> vehicle's. Now you can buy Interstate Batteries at Costco, even Triple 
> AAA sells them, just junk batteries. There is a battery which we are 
> currently selling called Deka,this battery is manufactured in the USA 
> and they have an excellent record, we have been selling them for a 
> while and have not had any problems."
>
> I've had bad experiences with Interstate--OEM battery for my 
> Mustang--and Motorcraft (also Hecho en Mexico but not sure if by 
> Johnson Controls).  He thinks JC might still make batteries in the US, 
> but only the eastern states get them.  He also theorizes that 
> recycling lead may cause problems.  I have a Deka in my Mustang and so 
> far, so good.
>
> FWIW, my 'source' is Mexican.
>
> Bob
>

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